Belle of the Ball Honors Marlene A. Ruppel

Clearwater, Fl. September 15, 2017-Belle of the Ball, the leading Tampa Bay area homecoming and prom dress provider to financially-needy girls, will honor Marlene A. Ruppel, the mother of long-time Belle of the Ball volunteer Terri Smith, on September 23. Mrs. Ruppel passed away on May 21, 2017 at the age of 89.

Mrs. Ruppel was involved in many local community organizations, including Symphony Guild, Science Center Guild, Hospital Guilds, Pasadena Women’s Club, the D.A.R. She was active in PTA, Boy Scouts, Cotillion, and hosted Exchange Students. She passed this volunteer spirit on to her daughter, our great volunteer Terri Smith. In honor of her volunteer spirit Belle of the Ball is dedicating our September 23 Shopping Day to her

Belle of the Ball is the leading Tampa Bay Area prom and homecoming dress provider to needy girls. It partners with all other such organizations in the Tampa Bay area, the school districts of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Hernando, Pasco and Citrus counties, and many other organizations

Belle of the Ball`s mission statement is “No girl should be denied the opportunity to attend her high school dance because of financial difficulty” Since 2003, it has given over 4,700 dresses to needy girls in 14 area counties.